Knitting group donate clothing to Leicester children's ward

A local knitting group has taken to fundraising in order to help Leicester communities.

The Oakham Knit and Natter Club have been hard at work recently creating a range of cosy little pieces of clothing for a children's ward at Leicester General Hospital.

More than 50 items have been handmade from colourful yarns, the Stamford Mercury reports, with items including tiny hats, socks and jumpers.

Most of these were then handed to the neo-natal unit at the hospital, who were humbled at the kind gift.

Marie Hough, fundraiser for the University Hospitals of Leicester told the newspaper: "The staff here are delighted and we're very grateful for such an array of knitted goods."

Club chairman, Joyce Lucas, who set up the craft community group in October 2012, praised the efforts put in by all the members and explained that everyone was more than willing to do what they could to aid the hospital.

"All the members have worked so hard in knitting the clothes and it's great to be able to support such a worthwhile cause," she said.

"The group has so much enthusiasm and everyone is doing their bit. I used to work at Leicester General Hospital so it was rather nice to be able to help," Ms Lucas went on to add.

As well as donating children's clothing to their local hospital, the club won the Rutland Christmas Tree Festival, which raised £2,400 for WaterAid, the paper reported.

Anyone can join the group, whether they're a complete beginner or an expert keen to share their skills, and tuition is available for people keen to pick up knitting needles for the first time.

Wool and needles are all provided free, but there is a small charge of £7 for six weeks paid in advance or £1.50 per session.

Members meet on Thursday mornings at Oakham Castle, which is wheelchair accessible, and tea, coffee and biscuits are all included.